MORE than one hundred firefighters were called to tackle a massive blaze at a Shardlow laboratory which breeds animals for medical research.

Crews from across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, with 21 fire trucks and seven specialist vehicles, fought the blaze at International Laboratory Services Ltd, on London Road, in the early hours of yesterday.

The nature of the building meant that the conditions for the firefighters – some of whom had travelled from as far as Matlock and Staveley – were "difficult and dangerous".

It took about eight hours to tackle the blaze – although some crews remained at the site into yesterday evening.

The laboratory was granted an injunction from the High Court just two months ago to prevent animal rights protestors from harassing members of staff.

But yesterday the fire service said initial reports suggested there were no suspicious circumstances behind the blaze.

An investigation into the cause is ongoing.

Area manager Gavin Tomlinson, from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue, said: "The fire is believed to have started in one of the labs and then spread across two buildings close together on the site.

"Firefighters had to work in very difficult conditions due to the construction of the building. Crews were forced to literally tear apart the building to gain access to the fire and put it out."

The first 999 call came in at 1.18am and the majority of the crews had left the site by 9am. Houses nearby were unaffected by the blaze.

Local resident Nancy Hawksworth said: "I first realised something was going on at about 1.30am.

"I heard the radios going and I looked out the window and saw a fire engine with a platform outside.

"You couldn't see any flames or smoke or anything like that."

ILS, which was previously named SafePharm before it was brought out by Harlan Laboratories UK, went to the High Court to bar animal rights groups from the site.

The injunction, which was given in December 2012, was granted against the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) and the National Anti-Vivisection Alliance (NAVA) campaign groups.

The site is one of four that has barred protesters who were found to be harassing and intimidating lab staff.

A spokesman for International Laboratory Services Ltd, said: "At 1.20am the fire brigade were called to the site of International Laboratory Services in Shardlow for a fire in the Microbiology Department.

"There were no people in the building. Other facilities on the Shardlow site, including animal rooms, were unaffected by this incident."

30 comments

pollution of lakes and rivers is caused by us, Britons wildlife is in danger because of us, then we experiment on beagles dogs and other animals because of us, what toxin effects on species still in no guarantee it does not effect an other (humans), its all to do with insurance, and new products, none of it we need, its a sham, and a shame,

tilly1965, are you brain-dead as well as heartless? The fire service says there were no suspicious circumstances in the cause of the fire. As to cosmetics (although not relevant in this case), you have obviously not heard of Beauty Without Cruelty which does not test products on animals, and other brands, like Lush and Co-op own brand which are not tested on animals.
Also, the article says Shardlow breeds animals for research which is why it is condemned by animal lovers. There is no need or excuse for using animals in experiments, as the Dr Hadwen Trust will testify and demonstrate.
Most of the horrific abuses to animals in laboratories, abattoirs, factory farms, etc. are exposed by animal rights activists, not by any official inspectors who generally take the word of the management and warn sites of their pending visits.

by Reason2013
"A lot of the research done on this site is looking to prevent accidental pollution of lakes and rivies, i.e. saving Britain's wildlife and nothing to do with the pharmaceutical industry.
Animals are sacrificed (MURDERED) and live their lives in cages.
There is NO excuse for the use of any animal in any experiment.

No suspicious circumstances.
The lab that burnt down was food testing for food in our supermarkets for shelf life. No testing on animals in that lab.
And for info the fire crew think it was an electrical fault, in the air conditioning units. A lot of valuable work has been lost.

A lot of the research done on this site is looking to prevent accidental pollution of lakes and rivies, i.e. saving Britain's wildlife and nothing to do with the pharmaceutical industry. Testing cosmetics on animals is illegal in Britain and does not happen at this site. Just about everything in Kessie2012's comment is laughably untrue, and none is relevant to this company.

A lot of the research done on this site is looking to prevent accidental pollution of lakes and rivies, i.e. saving Britain's wildlife and nothing to do with the pharmaceutical industry. Testing cosmetics on animals is illegal in Britain and does not happen at this site. Just about everything in Kessie2012's comment is laughably untrue, and none is relevant to this company.